Abstract:
Imidazolium-type ionic liquid ([C
8mim][BF
4], [C
8mim][PF
6] and [C
8mim][(SO
2CF
3)
2N]) and benzo-15-crown-5 were immobilized on XAD-7 resin to obtain the impregnated resin for lithium isotopes separation. IR and SEM characterizations of the impregnated resins indicate that ionic liquids and benzo-15-crown-5 are immobilized in the resins successfully and the thermal analysis indicates that the materials are thermally stable. The optimum
E was obtained in the initial solution at pH=5.55. The larger extraction percentages and separation factors values were obtained from LiSCN solution and CF
3COOLi solution, respectively. The maximum single-stage isotopes separation factor of
6Li/
7Li is up to 1.045±0.002. The equilibrium time of extraction is attained in 2.5-3 h. The thermodynamic parameters of the system were presented and revealed that the extraction reaction was a spontaneous process and the temperature had slight influence on the extraction separation of lithium isotopes. The mechanism of extraction system show that
6Li enriches in the solid phase and
7Li concentrates in the aqueous phase. The impregnated resins can be regenerated and reused for lithium isotopes separation.